Bedford's last win in the Championship was back on the 24th November against Hartpury. Since then, and apart from the outrageous draw at London Scottish, we have suffered a series of losses. We undoubtedly performed well against both Ealing and Bristol but only came away with losing bonus points.
A result at Rotherham this weekend is one we should win but is not a 'given'. Following this we have a series of very tough games which will be difficult to predict.
I think that Bedford might finish the season in fifth or sixth but I can't realistically see them getting higher. Other clubs are stringing wins together and reeling us in.

Yaffle, good question which was discussed earlier in the season, IMHO then was third, and I think itís still achievable.....

My thinking is that we are the only club to have played both Bristol and Ealing in the second half off the season.....so the current position of fifth and only a few points off third it is possible we should/could improve on that.......

However Bedford old problem has shown its head .......we play well against clubs we perceive to be better than us and then fail to play well against clubs that we perceive are beatable..........well thatís my opinion....which makes this weekís game in my book a possible banana skin.....

It all hangs on the matches v Leeds and Doncaster. If we can win both those home matches Iíd expect us to be third. All the other matches we should win. Of course, this all depends on the B&I Cup. We may start prioritising that if we win the QF.

My concern is that, certainly in recent years, Bedford do not do well against these gritty, obstinate and determined Yorkshire sides. These are two critical home games for us and will play an important part in our final league position.

Leeds are two points ahead of us with a game in hand, Doncaster just two points ahead and with the same number of games played as ourselves. Our performance against both of these teams will be significant in where we finally finish our season.
Can we finish the season with a top four position and a B&I Cup semi-final (or better) or simply finish as a mid table 'also ran'? Improvements in the squad signings and our early season form suggested something special might happen this season. It's still all to play for and completely in our hands.

I like your optimism JW and I hope that you are proved right.
Until Bedford develop more of a 'killer' mentality in closing down games I feel that there are just too many potential banana skins in our remaining games for us to put clear water between us and the chasing pack.

Yaffle, it's all too close at the top I agree, too close for comfort. The introduction of a few 'old heads' to support our young talented players/bring them on has been the difference this season. We have a great squad and with a few new faces coming in we will only improve next season, I'm sure of that. Also less reliance on DR is a good thing IMO, I think too many changes unsettle a team, team dynamics, morale etc etc. I'm glad that we've kept this to a minimum this year. Message ends. JW

Well, I'm delighted to have been proved wrong - two good wins against two very good Yorkshire teams.
To quote Ginger Bluesboy from another thread, "None of our last 4 fixtures are straightforward, but on paper 3rd place is really ours to lose now." I quite agree.

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